The Branded Search panic button: Pausing PMax to “protect” branded traffic 🚨

This fear surfaces so often in audits that it’s become almost a reflex. But here’s the no-nonsense truth: when campaigns are structured correctly, there is no conflict. In fact, running Search and PMax together is the proven system that delivers consistent scale and clean reporting.

Why media buyers panic about overlap

PMax is often viewed as a black box. You don’t control exact queries or placements, so when you see branded conversions attributed to PMax, alarm bells ring.

Meanwhile, Search is that safe harbor. Your branded exact match Search campaign wins auctions consistently with cheap CPCs and granular control. So the natural instinct is to “protect” branded Search from any perceived threat.

The branded traffic question: Who wins what?

This is the heart of the hesitation, so let’s settle it precisely:

• Branded Search campaigns dominate branded text queries on the Search Network, usually.
  

  With well-structured exact match and appropriate bids, these campaigns capture the majority of branded search impressions and conversions, keeping costs efficient and attribution clean. However, Performance Max can still appear on branded search queries occasionally, especially if branded Search campaigns face budget constraints or bid caps. This doesn’t mean Search campaigns lose control—it means PMax is filling gaps opportunistically to maximize total conversions.

• Performance Max owns the branded presence across Shopping, YouTube, Display, and Discover.
  

  This is by design and a key strength. PMax expands your brand’s reach into surfaces that Search campaigns simply can’t touch. That branded traffic on non-search channels is incremental by nature and crucial for upper-funnel engagement and sales.

If you view this as channel overlap, you’re missing the bigger picture. When seen as full-funnel brand coverage, this model delivers scalable growth.

What we see in successful accounts

In the healthiest scaled accounts, here’s how it breaks down:

• Protect branded queries with exact match Search campaigns.
  These campaigns win nearly every brand text query auction, keeping CPCs low and attribution clean.

• Run a prospecting Search campaign focused on non-branded, high-intent keywords.

  This creates a controlled layer for critical queries that PMax might under-invest in.

• Run PMax as a dynamic prospecting engine across Google’s full channel mix.
  Feed PMax rich audience signals and fresh creative assets, and let it loose as a powerful upper-funnel tool. Because PMax serves ads on Shopping, YouTube, Display, and Discover, it naturally captures some branded traffic on these channels—traffic that Search campaigns simply don’t access. This is not “overlap”; it’s strategic brand coverage across multiple Google surfaces, filling gaps Search alone can’t touch.

• Use blended reporting to see the full picture.
  Combine branded Search and PMax conversions to get a real view of your search-influenced performance across the funnel.

In this setup, PMax reliably brings incremental customers, primarily through Shopping and YouTube, delivering lift that Search cannot provide alone.

Look, the fear around PMax stepping on branded Search toes is real, but it’s mostly noise. If you set things up right, there’s no need to worry. Let branded Search own the brand queries, let PMax run prospecting across channels, and watch the results stack up. Blend the data, keep your eye on new customers in your CRM, and make decisions with confidence. 

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